Now or never for Kolkata Knight Riders

It's been a rollercoaster ride for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL so far, with heady highs and depressing lows. Now, crunch time is here. The plan is simple - win all three games or crash out of the semi-finals.

Tonight's clash against the Rajasthan Royals is the first, and possibly most difficult of the games for Ganguly's men. Shane Warne, Graeme Smith and Shane Watson have fired on all cylinders as their team has swept all before them to sit atop the table. Swapnil Asnodkar has been a revelation, Sohail Tanvir has come to the party, and the team looks a confident and cohesive unit.

To beat Rajasthan, Ganguly will hope for a return to form, both personally and for his colleagues. David Hussey will have to come up with a good hand, and Salman Butt must continue his good showing in the previous game. Das, Saha and Shukla also need to pull their weight and make their talent count.

Shoaib Akhtar's knee injury is a major worry for the Knight Riders, as he was instrumental in the crucial win against Delhi. In his absence, Ishant Sharma, Umar Gul and Ashoke Dinda will have to rediscover their early-tournament rhythm and dislodge Smith and his colleagues early on. Dinda, in particular, will have to put the horror's of Sunday's dropped catch behind him and focus on the job at hand. For a victory tonight, the KKR bowlers will have need a minimum of twelve top-class overs from their frontline bowlers, and hope that the other bowlers can keep damage to a minimum.

In the previous encounter between the two teams, there was no love lost between Ganguly and Warne. The skippers traded barbs at the end of the match, and there seemed to be a general needle in the atmosphere. It will add an extra edge to tonight's clash.

For Knight Riders fans, this is the match where it all comes down. The Kolkata fans are extremely loyal, supporting their favourite teams and players through thick and thin. However, they will be looking for nothing less than a victory tonight, to extend a campaign that began so promisingly.